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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nottingham air quality: AQI 32 — good. Green space 20%. Compared to East Midlands cities in 2026.
Nottingham air quality: AQI 32 — good. Green space 20%. Compared to East Midlands cities in 2026.
Nottingham: cost index 94 (-9 vs national avg 103), rent £880/month.
East Midlands region average cost index: 103. Nottingham is -9 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 59/100 — safety 54, healthcare 72, walkability 72.
Safety score: 54/100 (crime rate 96.8/1k). National average: 61/100.
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. Nottingham has a cost index of 94 — 9 points below the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £31,000 with rent at £880/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 34%. This is an advantage that compounds over time.
And there's one more thing: looking at East Midlands as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 48 points on the cost index. London sits at the other end with index 142 and rent of £2,000/mo. That's a strong position by any measure.
On quality of life, Nottingham scores a composite score of 59/100 — reflecting its safety (54), healthcare (72), and walkability (72) metrics. Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 |
| 2 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 |
| 3 | Plymouth | 97 | £870 | £31,000 |
| 4 | Swansea | 87 | £720 | £29,500 |
| 5 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 |
| 6 | Exeter | 106 | £1,020 | £32,600 |
| 7 | Norwich | 99 | £920 | £32,000 |
| 8 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 |
| 9 | Edinburgh | 110 | £1,220 | £37,000 |
| 10 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 |
| 11 | Oxford | 132 | £1,500 | £39,000 |
| 12 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 |
| 13 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 |
| 14 | Bristol | 112 | £1,200 | £35,800 |
| 15 | Brighton | 122 | £1,350 | £37,000 |
| 16 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 83 | £660 | £28,400 |
| 18 | Glasgow | 95 | £960 | £32,600 |
| 19 | Reading | 124 | £1,300 | £40,000 |
| 20 | Southampton | 113 | £1,130 | £35,200 |
Nottingham — cost index 94, rent £880/mo, income £31,000, QoL 59/100.
Aberdeen — cost index 98, rent £810/mo, income £35,800, QoL 65/100.
Plymouth — cost index 97, rent £870/mo, income £31,000, QoL 63/100.
Swansea — cost index 87, rent £720/mo, income £29,500, QoL 66/100.
Belfast — cost index 89, rent £780/mo, income £30,500, QoL 62/100.
Nottingham has a cost index of 94 (national avg: 103), rent £880/mo, median income £31,000/yr, and a quality of life score of 59/100.
The East Midlands region of average QoL score is 60/100. Nottingham leads with 59/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ONS, Land Registry, HMRC.
Nottingham: cost index 94, rent £880/mo, income £31,000/yr, QoL 59/100. Aberdeen: cost index 98, rent £810/mo, income £35,800/yr, QoL 65/100.
This analysis uses data from ONS, Land Registry, HMRC to rank cities in United Kingdom. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.